near to Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire, Great Britain

OTC, Humberside Fire & Rescue Service

This remarkable building at the Humberside Fire & Rescue Service Headquarters on Summergroves Way, Hull, is known as the OTC (operational training complex). It was built some 21 years ago and is used to train firefighters in working with breathing apparatus, scaling the structural elements of various buildings and ships, and rescuing casualties from a smoke-filled environment (if you look closely there are a couple of dummy 'casualties' lying around on the floor). It can also be accessed from sewers underneath and there's a water-filled area on the left where trainees can tackle the building from a small boat. The interior includes the sort of rooms and stairwells found in a typical block of flats as well as a ship's bridge, cabins and engine room, all of which are pitch black and covered in soot. The ground floor originally had a garage with a car in it and a fully equipped fish 'n' chip shop but these have now gone. Another view of the building can be seen here: Link